The Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a collaborative partnership of four unique. Southern institutions with complementary strengths: Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, University of Alabama, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The primary objectives of the Deep South RCMAR Community Liaison Core [CLC] are to educate, train, and mentor Scholars in theory-based approaches to engaging older African American in health-related research, assist RCMAR Scholars in recruiting older African Americans to their research studies, and to build a sustainable infrastructure that will generate and disseminate new knowledge regarding the science of recruitment and retention. The specific aims of the Deep South RCMAR CLC are to: (1) Work collaboratively with the Investigator Development Core (IDC) to educate, train, and mentor RCMAR Scholars regarding the theory and approach to community engagement and assist RCMAR Scholars in recruiting older African Americans in their research studies; (2) Advance scientific knowledge in the area of recruitment and retention of older urban and rural African Americans by empirically testing recruitment and retention strategies developed in partnership with community members; (3) Expand capacity for community-academic partnerships to support the recruitment and retention of older urban and rural African Americans; and (4) Disseminate research findings to the scientific community and the communities we serve. We will achieve these aims through mentorship of RCMAR Scholars, linkage of Scholars with established investigators conducting community-based research, development and testing of recruitment strategies developed in concert with community members, and focused community and institutional capacity building. The attainment of our aims will create a state-of-the art infrastructure that will train RCMAR Scholars in the science of recruitment and retention, foster long-term collaborative partnerships with the community, and create a sustainable and efficient method to generate new knowledge and disseminate research findings relevant to minority aging to the scientific community and the communities that we serve.